Setting lofty goals is an important part of having a successful athletic season, but reaching those goals is usually another matter entirely. Don't tell that to the Yale men's golf team, however.
The men's squad came another step closer to reaching its preseason goal of winning all four tournaments this spring. Their convincing first-place victory at the Ivy League Championships, held in Long Island, New York, last weekend. It was the third consecutive first-place finish for the Bulldogs this season.
The Bulldogs dethroned the four-time defending champion Princeton Tigers with ease in the two-day tournament, scoring a 20-stroke victory at the Beth Page Black course-described by senior captain Brian Pierce, SM '96, as "arguably the most difficult course we've ever played as a team."
The victory was the second time the Elis have beaten their Nassau rivals this season. It also marked the Elis' sixth Ivy title in the last 13 years under head coach Dave Paterson, and avenged a disappointing fourth-place finish in last year's tournament. The Bulldogs last won the championship in 1991.
Leading the way for Yale with a first-place individual finish was junior Ken Rizvi, DC '97, who shot 218 over 54 holes, including a one-under-par performance on the last 18, to capture a 10-stroke win over second-place finisher Joe Radke from Harvard.
Rizvi, who became Yale's first Ivy champ since Bob Heintz, CC '92, in 1992, and who earned All-Ivy honors for the second straight year, had been struggling during the two weeks prior to the tournament, so his performance came as a pleasant surprise to his teammates. "Ken surprised us in the sense that he just played phenomenally," Pierce said.
Coach Paterson agreed, describing Rizvi's playing as "one of the best performances of my tenure here at Yale." On the whole, however, the team wasn't too surprised by its victory. "Obviously we're thrilled with the win," Pierce said, "but we could have played better."
One factor that prevented many players from giving their top performance was the weather, which made an already difficult course even more challenging. The especially long Black course, which will host the U.S. Open in 2002, is often haunted by strong winds, and last weekend was no exception.
"If you're not hitting straight, you're going to be in trouble," Pierce said of the conditions. "Your short game needs to be on because you're not going to hit many greens."
Nonetheless, Yale dominated from the start. Rizvi, Pierce, Steve Huffaker, ES '97, and Jon Levinson, SY '97, combined to give the Elis an eight-stroke lead after the first round, as all four players shot under 80. The second and third rounds were equally successful, and Yale captured the top score in each of those rounds as well. Freshman Scott Brinker, JE '99, helped out in the final 36 holes, including a stellar 75 on Sunday in the final round.
Huffaker joined Rizvi in earning All-Ivy honors by tying for fourth overall with a 232, including strong four over par 76's in both the first and last rounds. The two juniors formed the first pair of Yalies to earn the distinction since Heintz and Brad Wargo, CC '94, did it in 1992. Pierce and Brinker also ended up the weekend with impressive scores (239 and 241, respectively) for the Blue.
The past weekend's victory nearly assures the Eli squad of an NCAA regional bid. Their unbeaten season includes first-place finishes in the Harvard-Yale-Princeton tournament and the Yale Invitational, but next they'll have to tackle the New England District Championships at the Fairfield Country Club this Thurs., Apr. 25, and Fri., Apr. 26.
If the Bulldogs can maintain their hot streak, they may even have a chance at qualifying for the NCAA season-ending national tournament. "It's a bit of a long shot, but it's certainly not out of the picture," Pierce said.
Copyright 1996, The Yale Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
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